Toy bomb with noise amplifier



June 14, 1955' s. N. WILDSTEIN TOY BOMB WITH NOISE AMPLIFIER Filed July28, 1953 W n. will, 1 a 54 R 5 mm M m h w 4L S 1! TTORNE 1 United StatesPatent .flice 2,710,490 Patented June 14, 1955 TOY BOMB WITH NOISEAMPLIFIER Stephen Ned Wildstein, Woodmere, N. Y., assignor to PalmerPlastics, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application July 28, 1953, Serial No. 370,764

2 Claims. (Cl. 46-200) This invention relates generally to toys, and isparticularly directed to toys of the type adapted to detonateconventional wafer-like caps.

The particular embodiment of the present invention, which is illustratedin the drawings, and which will be described hereinafter in greaterdetail, comprises generally a cap detonating chamber and a megaphone foramplifying the sound of a detonation.

While there are prior cap detonating devices known in the art, suchdevices have been cumbersome and heavy in construction and unreliable inoperation, and thus hazardous for use by young children. In addition,the prior devices required features of construction which prevented truebomb simulation and otherwise marred the general appearance. Further,the detonating devices of the prior art inherently served to muffle thesound or" a detonation and thereby considerably lessened theattractiveness of the toy.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the' present invention toprovide a detonating toy of the type described which accuratelysimulates a bomb in both appearance and operation, and which is providedwith novel means for amplifying the sound of a detonation to enhance theattractiveness of the toy to a child.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a toy bomb ofthe type described which is positive in operation and completely safefor use by young children.

A more particular object is to provide a device of the type describedwhich is light in weight but which is constructed so that it will fallfreely in a particular disposition for positively effecting operation,and which is further constructed so that the detonation chamber outletis remote from the point of detonation so that the latter cannot bedangerously approached.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a toy bombhaving the characteristics mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs whichis simple in construction and durable in operation, which is effectivefor its intended purposes and which is adapted for production byinexpensive techniques and with relatively cheap materials.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and referring to the accompanying drawingswhich form a material part of this disclosure.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which thescope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing a device constructed in accordancewith the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional, elevational view showing the device of Fig. l inenlarged proportions.

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Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig.3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the embodiment of theinvention illustrated therein comprises a detonating body having afiring pin projecting from one end. On the other end of the body 10 is amegaphone 11 which carries guiding fins 12 remote from the detonatingbody.

The body 10 is hollow interiorly, as at 15 and opens upwardly throughits upper end 16, best seen in Fig. 3. The internal surface of thehollow body 10 is provided with screw threads 17 for a purpose appearingpresently. The lower end 18 of the hollow body 10 is closed by theportion 19 which is provided with a downwardly projecting extension 20.While the hollow body 10 may be fabricated of any suitable material, itis preferred to employ molded plastic, the portion 19 being annularlyrecessed as at 21. The extension 20 and closure 'portion 19 are formedwith a bore 22 which extends coaxially of the body 10 and whichcommunicates-between the interior thereof 15 and the exterior of thebody.

Slidably mounted in the bore 22 is a firing pin or hammer 25 having itslower end 26 extending outwardly beyond the extension 20. Formed on theother end of the firing pin 25 is a striking head or button 27, disposedinteriorly of the body 10. With the device in its vertical position (seeFig. 3), the striking head 27 will rest upon the internal surface of thebody 10 and retain the firing pin 25 in the bore 22. Of course, thefiring pin 25 and striking head 27 may be shifted upwardly, as will bedescribed hereinafter in greater detail.

The megaphone 11 is generally funnel-like in configuration, taperingfrom its upper end 30 toward its lower end 31. The lower or smaller end31 of the funnel 11 is formed with external screw threads 32 adapted tothreadedly engage with the internal screw threads 1'7 of the body 10.Thus, the smaller megaphone end 31 may be inserted into the open upperend 16 of the body 10 and threadedly secured in the latter. The upperend 30 of the megaphone 11 is formed with an external, interruptedperipheral bead 33, for a purpose appearing hereinafter.

Arranged coaxially of and within the body 10, and spacedly within thesmaller end 31 of the megaphone 11 is an open-ended tubular member 35,which is fixedly secured in position by a plurality of radiallyextending spokes or webs 36. The spokes or webs extend from the tubularmember 35 to the internal surface of the megaphone 11 adjacent thesmaller end 31, and may be formed integrally with the tubular member andmegaphone. In practice, it is preferred to mold the megahone 11, tubularmember 35 and webs 36 as an integral unit made of flexible,self-sustaining material, such as polyethylene or the like. Suchmaterial has inherent resilient qualities which are employed toadvantage in the present invention, as will be described hereinafter.

Positioned interiorly of the body 10 is an anvil 40 which includes ashank 41 fixedly secured in the tubular member 35. On the lower end ofthe shank 41 is an anvil head 42 arranged in facing spaced relation withrespect to the striker head or hammer 27. It will be apparent that thestriker head 27 is movable into and out of engagement with the anvilhead 42 upon depression of the firing pin 25.

Removably secured on the larger end 30 of the megaphone 11 are theguiding fins 12, which include a pair of crossed U-shaped plates ormembers and 51. The U-shaped plate 50 includes a bight portion 52 anddepending legs 53 and 54, the bight portion being formed with aninwardly extending slot 55. Similarly, the U- shaped member or plate 51comprises a bight portion 56 and depending legs 57 and 58, the bightportion being formed with an outwardly extending cut-out portion or slot59. The U-shaped members 50 and 51 are arranged so that the cut-outportion of each member receives the portion adjacent to the cut-outportion of the other member. In this condition, the U-shaped members maybe fixedly secured together as by welding or other appropriate means.Extending between the legs 53, 57, 54 and 58, internally thereof, is anannular member 60, which is formed with an internal groove 61. Theannular member is preferably secured to the legs by any suitable meansto complete the guiding fin assembly. It is seen that the interruptedbead 33 on the megaphone 11 seats snugly in the groove 61 of the annularmember 60, and thus mounts the guiding fins 12 on the megaphone whileleaving the larger megaphone end 30 completely open.

To assemble the complete device, it is only necessary to insert thefiring pin 25 into the bore 22 from the interior of the body 10. Themegaphone 11, with the anvil 40 in position, may then be threadedlyinserted in the upper end 16 of the body 10, and the upper end of themegaphone manually compressed for insertion into the annular member 60.The megaphone will then expand to snugly engage the interrupted bead 33in the groove 61.

In operation, a conventional wafer-like cap (not shown) is inserted ontop of the hammer 27 when the body is unscrewed from the megaphone 11,to occupy the space intermediate the anvil head 42 and striker head 27.As the device is constructed with its center of gravity adjacent to thelower end of body 10, it may be thrown upwards and will fall freely withfiring pin 25 foremost. The free falling movement is stabilized by theaerodynamic effect of the guiding fins 12. Upon contact with the groundor other surface, the firing pin 25 will be suddenly depressed to causethe hammer to sharply approach the anvil to strike the cap against theanvil head and cause detonation of the cap. The detonation sound waveswill pass between the spokes or webs 36, as indicated by the arrows inFig. 3, and out through the larger megaphone end 30, being greatlyamplified thereby.

It will be noted that the device is inoperative unless the smaller end31 of the megaphone is secured in the body 10 as the anvil head andfiring pin are mounted, re spectively, in the megaphone and body.Further, the length of the megaphone 11 as well as the guiding fins 12serve to limit the possible proximity of an operator, so that a childshand or other body member cannot be injured by accidental detonation ofa cap.

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From the foregoing, it is seen that the present invention provides a toywhich accurately simulates a bomb, both in structure and operation,which fully accomplishes its intended objects, and which is well adaptedto meet practical conditions of use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by wayof illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, itis understood that certain changes and modifications may be made withinthe spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A toy bomb comprising a hollow body which has a cap detonatingchamber having one open end, a firing pin slidable in the other end ofsaid body, a striking head on said firing pin disposed interiorly ofsaid chamber, a funnel-shaped megaphone having its smaller endscrewthreadedly removably engaged with and within said hollow body andin fluid communication with the interior of the chamber for amplifyingthe sound of detonation, the smaller end of said megaphone extendinginto the open end .of said body, an anvil fixedly mounted within saidmegaphone adjacent its smaller end and spaced from the inner wall ofsaid megaphone to permit passage of the sound waves from a detonation topass about said anvil and out through the larger .end of said megaphone,said anvil being in the .path of movement of said striking head wherebya .cap disposed intermediate said anvil and said striking head will bedetonated upon movement of the firing pin toward said anvil, and guidingfins for stabilizing the free falling movement of said body andmegaphone.

2. A toy bomb as set forth in claim 1, the upper end of said megaphonehaving thereon an external peripheral bead, said guiding fins comprisingcrossed U-shaped plates, with the legs of each U embracingly fixed to anannular member having an internal groove seated snugly over saidperipheral bead, said megaphone being fabricated of flexible resilientmaterial.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS433,427 Vogel July 29, 1890 708,766 Hazlehurst Sept. 9, 1902 1,357,927Clarke Nov. 2, 1920 2,183,152 Prensky Dec. 12, 1939 2,611,999 MikolaySept. 30, 1952

